Automatic polishing machine



Nov. 24, 1936. o. K. REINHARDT AUTOMATIC POLI SHING MACHINE Filed oc. 3o, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l |NVENTOR- OTT ff. RE/NHHDT BY i um @MMM -L ATTORNEYS Nov. 24, 1936. o. K. RElNHARDT AUTOMATIC POLISHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OOL. 30, 1951 INVENToR- OTTO lf. REl/VHARDT BY u AT ORNEYS Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNlTD STATES autant PATENT OFCE AUTOMATIC POLSHING MACHINE Application October 30, 1931, Serial No. 572,184

3 Claims.

The invention relates to an automatic polishing machine for cleaning and polishing the bottom or ends of an article. The invention is particularly adapted to polish the bottoms of the metallic containers for an electrolytio cell. The bottoms of these cans or containers must be clean and polished in order to assure that good electrical contact may be established therewith either by contact with the electrode of a second cell positioned therebeneath and pressing against the bottom or by contact with a conductor in the manner known to the art as in a Vhand ilashlight.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine which will automatically polish the ends of metal containers or other articles without manual manipulation thereof.

Other objects of the invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

Figure l shows the polishing machine in elevation with the conveyors which deliver and remove the articles or cells from the polishing machine as Well as the wheel which carries the cells into Contact with the bufng or polishing wheels.

Figure 2 is an end or side view of the polishing machine sho-wing the carrier wheel for the cells and the bufng wheels adjacent thereto in position to polish the bottom or end of the cell.

Figure 3 is a partial view similar to that shown in Figure 1, but showing the bufnng wheels and their relative position with respect to the carrier wheel which carries the cells into polishing contact with the polishing wheels.

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 1 -4 of Figure 1 and shows the conveyor construction by means of which the cells are removed from the carrier wheel.

Figure 5 is a cross section through the cell carrying Wheel and the means for backing up the cell while it is being polished so that a short circuit will not be established between the outer can or container and the central electrode.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic View showing the manner in which the cells are carried with increasing and decreasing pressure into and away from the polishing wheels.

The small electrolytic cells used for flashlights and other purposes are used in such large quantities that advanced production methods are justified in each step of their manufacture. This is equally true of the operation for polishing the bottom of the cells so that good electrical contact may be established therewith in the manner well known to the art. 'I'his operation heretofore has been performed by hand and although such manual handling is relatively inexpensive so far as manufacturing is concerned, yet the cost of the operation can be materially reduced by utilizing an automatic machine. The polishing machine should be capable of polishing as many cells per minute as the cells are manufactured and finished at the machines which perform operations thereupon prior to the polishing operation so that as continuous and uninterrupted a stream of production as is possible may be obtained from the beginning of the manufacture of the cell to the finished cell.

The polishing machine has the cells delivered to it by a delivery means at one end of the machine which means includes a conveyor belt I!) passing over a pulley ii adjacent the polishing machine. The pulley preferably is mounted upon a bracket l5 carried by the machine frame although any mounting therefor is suitable. The cells may be placed manually upon the conveyor belt i il, but preferably the cells are delivered directly upon the belt from the machine which performs an operation thereupon prior to the polishing of the cell without manual handling. Theconveyor belt ii) delivers the cells into a delivery trough i2 which is inclined downwardly so that the cells will roll by gravity to the bottom thereof. The trough I 2 is long enough to store a number of cells so that the weight of the cells on top of the first cell, assists in forcing the rst or bottom cell into a carrier pocket for carrying the cell tothe polishing wheels. The trough therefore provides means for delivering the cells into the pockets of the carrier.

It may occur that a plurality of cells Will accumulate at the delivery trough I2 when the trough is full. In such case, the cells line up upon the conveyor belt lil and roll thereupon until they enter the trough. Since the conveyor belt is traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow, there is a pressure created by these cells on the conveyor belt tending to press the cells through the trough l2 and into the pockets of the carrier wheel and thereby augment the pressure upon the rst cell to press it into the carrier wheel pocket. In order to prevent the cells from being forced out of the trough or falling out of the trough, a trough cover i3 is provided to rer tain the cells in position in the trough. The trough cover i3 carries a hinge I4 which permits the cover to be raised in case a cell is jammed therein so that it will not be advanced through the trough.

The cells are delivered from the delivery trough l2 to a carrier wheel i8 at one end thereof. The Wheel has a plurality of peripheral pockets I9 to receive the cells, the pockets extending through the width of the carrier Wheel at the periphery thereof. The carrier wheel i8 is mounted upon a shaft 28 jeurnalled in the frame 2 i. The shaft 20 carries a gear 24 which meshes with a pinion 25 for continuous driving connection with driving means 26. A retaining means or cover 30 is positioned adjacent the periphery of the carrier wheel i8 in order to retain the cells in the pockets 59. The cover 3i! is supported on a pairY of brackets 3I secured to the frame 2|.

TheV brackets 3l also carry spaced backing means or supports 32 carried upon an insulated member 33Y which insulated member is Vin turn carried upon aV member 34. The member 34 is secured toV the brackets 3l. The cells C carried in the pockets I9 of the carrier wheel i8 are backed up against the backing means so that the pressure of the polishing Wheels upon` the other side of the cells `when they contact withand polish the bottoms of the cells, prevents them from being pushed out of the pockets I9. The backing means 32 is spaced apart so that the terminal Tin the cells C will not come in contact with any metallic part or conductor which would simultaneously contact with the terminal and with the outer container for the cells C and thereby cause a short circuit of the cell. By this construction'the insulating member 33 is not essential and may be dispensed wthif desired. The insulating member is essential if the backing means contactsvwith or isY en- Vgaged by the carbon electrode.

A pair of polishing brushes 31 and 38 `are mounted for rotation adjacent tc the carrier wheel I8 upon one side thereof and opposite the pockets so that the periphery of the brushes cornes into contact with the ends of the cells C carried in the pockets I9. The polishing wheels-31 and 38 are preferably of Wire, the gauge of the wire for best results being in the neighborhood of 25 gauge. A wire which is too heavy or too great in diameter tends to break off quickly and thereby unduly wears the brush. Brushes having a greater and a lesser diameter than 25 gauge wire have been found suitable. It has also been found that the peripheral speed of the polishing wheel is important and hence a polishing wheel ten inches in diameter should rotate inthe neighborhood of 1500V R'. P. M. At this speed a good polishing eifect is obtained without undue wear of the brush and of the bottom of the cell.

In order to obtain great usey from a brush, a twelve inch diameter brush may be used with a corresponding reduction in R. P. M. in order to obtainthe proper peripheral speed for polishing. rIhere is a fairly wide range of peripheral speeds at which the brush may operate, but it has been found that too high speeds will polish or Wear off completely the bottom of the container and too low speeds will not obtain the polish desired at a fast enough rate for a continuous manufacturing process in conjunction with other machines.

The polishing wheels are surrounded by a protecting housing 39' for the sake of safety'. The brushes are mounted upon a shaft 40 and may be driven by any suitable means such as the motor 4 I. It may be advisable to provide varying speeds Y for the shaft fifi so that upon a reduction in the diameter of the polishing brushes, due to wear, the better peripheral speed may be maintained by increasing their rate of rotation.

It will be observed that the polishing brushes 3l and 38 are spaced apart so that the plane of the brush is spaced from the vertical diameter of the carrying Wheel I8. There is a double purpose in this construction, theiirst of course being that the two brushes may be mounted upon a single shaft. The second purpose for the mounting of the brushes is to carry the bottoms of the vcells gradually into the brush and gradually away therefrom. This is illustrated in Figure 6. If the cells were carried directly across the front of the polishing brushes 3l and 38, the cells would be carried .immediately into the point Where the fibers of the brush exert their maximum pressure and .are subjected to the greatest deflection because of their contact with the cell.

After the cells have been polished by the two polishing brushes y31 and 38, the cells are removed from the pockets I9 of the wheel I8 at the other end thereof by a removing means which includes a removing trough l45. The removing trough 45 consists of a pair of spaced angular members so that the carrying wheel I8 may pass therebetween. The trough 45 engages the Vends of the cells C as shown in vFigure `4:, asthe cell rotates with the carrier wheel I8 and lifts it out of the pocket I9. The carrier wheel has therefore a width at the periphery which is less thanthe length of the cell or article. The trough 45 preferably is inclined so that the cell when removed from the pocket I9 will roll by gravity on to a removing conveyor 46. It will be noted that the Vend of the cover 30 is bent outwardly Vat 41 in order to assist in keeping the cell on the trough 45 while it is being removed from the pocket I9. The conveyor 46 preferably is a belt conveyor carried upon a pulley 48 which pulley is carried on a shaft 49 journalled in a bracket 50. 'Ihe bracket 50 may be suitably carried upon the frame 2|.

The brushes 31 and 38 are carried upon the frame 2| as described hereinbefore. The frame 2| is preferably supported on a slide 53 which slide permits the brushes to -be' moved closer to the carrier wheel I8 as the. brushes 31 and 38 wear and reduce in diameter. The slide A53 is carried upon a pedestal 54 rfor supporting the entire polishing machine.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art in the configuration, composition and disposition of the component elements going to make up the invention as a whole, as well as in the selective combination or application of the respective elements, and no limitation is intended by the phraseology of the foregoing description or illustrations in the accompanying drawings, except as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A polishing machine for the bottoms of dry cells comprising at least one rotary polishing wheel, a continuously rotating carrier wheel having a plurality of pockets in the periphery thereof, said carrier Wheel being so positioned as to move the bottoms of the cells across the face of the polishing wheel and spaced backing means adjacent the other side of the carrier Wheel and opposite the pockets to bridge the cup electrode tinuously rotating carrier wheelrotating in a vertical plane and having a plurality of pockets in the periphery each of which receives a. cell and so positioned as to move the bottoms of the cells diagonally across the face of the brush, means to rotate said polishing brush and means adjacent said pockets and opposite said brush to engage the ends of cells in non-shortcircuiting relation to hold the cells in contact with the face of the brush.

3. A polishing machine for the bottoms of dry cells comprising at least one rotary polishing brush and a continuously rotating carrier wheel having a plurality of cell receiving means, said carrier wheel being so positioned as to move the bottoms of the cells arcuately across the face of the polishing Wheel from a point of initial contact on one side of a plane including the axis and a diameter of the Wheel to a point of departure from contact with the face of the polishing wheel on the other side of said plane and means adjacent said pockets and opposite said brush to engage the ends of cells in non-shortcircuiting relation to hold the cells in contact with the face 10 of the brush.

OTTO KARL REINHARDT. 

